How should I store my seeds to increase longevity?

I didn’t think about temperature variations. I wonder if relative warming sends a sprout signal to the seed?

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It shouldn’t effect them much in the short term, 2-3 years, if theyre in a fridge.
But if you want to store for anything like 5+ years, it’s definitely something to consider.

:v:

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It’s a bit of track from canna but its interesting stuff, there’s date seeds been sprouted after 2000 years and silene stenophylla after 30,000 years.
That’s truly astonishing :astonished:

Seeds kept in the fridge isn’t a guarantee :face_with_monocle:


Iirc 6/8 months before I noticed they were sprouting.

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Researchers found Cannabis/Hemp Seeds in China 5,000 years old…some germinated!!! All depends on “proper storage”, which differs depending on many factors. I have a friend who germinated +40ish year old seeds (Okra from Ghana). SS/BW…mister :honeybee: :100: :pray: :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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Damn! The seeds are alive. Imagine that many years of life as a seed and then you sprout and live one season.

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Spencer’s seeds are almost 100% germination after 20 years in a refrigerator. Spencer's Legacy Seeds

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In a freezer, in a jar. Jarred at ~50-55% rH (at around 70*f). For me, freezing is the only way to go long term. It doesn’t stop time, but it stops almost all biological/chemical processes in seeds. Refrigeration only slows it.

I have nothing to back this up, but I don’t think it’s necessary to add rice or anything unless you are regularly going in and out of it, letting it thaw, and trapping the condensation. I figure the seeds need some water in them, so I am weary of desiccating the seeds themselves.

All that said, seeds have evolved to survive harsh conditions and long waits for fertile land, especially in some seeds.

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These folks know a thing or two about seed storage: Svalbard Global Seed Vault

The Seed Vault, carved into virgin solid rock was opened on 26 February 2008. The seed storage area itself is located more than 100 meters inside the mountain, and under layers of rock that range between 40 and 60 meters thick.

The entrance portal is a simple concrete construction that has gained status as a global icon, in part due to “Perpetual Repercussion”, an illuminated fiber optic art installation created by the Norwegian artist, Dyveke Sanne, that decorates the entrance. Many Svalbard visitors go the Vault’s entrance to take selfies and tick off “been there”.

Cooled to minus 18°C

The mountain mass has permafrost, with a stable temperature of between minus 3 and 4°C. The seed storage area has an additional cooling system, to bring the seed storing temperature to minus 18°C and ensure that it remains constant. Electricity for the Seed Vault is provided by the public power plant in Longyearbyen. In addition, the Seed Vault is equipped with generators that provide electricity in the case of a power outage.

The seed store facility consists of three halls, each with a base measuring about 9.5 x 27 meters. Each hall can accommodate about 1.5 million seed samples, thus giving the Seed Vault a total capacity to store 4.5 million seed accessions. To date, the holdings in the Seed Vault are more than1 200,000 seed samples. Only one of the three halls is in use, cooled to minus 18°C and equipped with shelves for seed boxes. When this hall reaches capacity, the second storage hall will be prepared and cooled to the level needed for seed conservation.

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I’ve always wondered what type of cannabis seeds they have in Svalbard vault.

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You MUST be sure the seeds have been dried/ cured for at least 1 month in a cool dark place. Open container. After that they can be frozen and should last for the rest of your lifetime. Some OG members dry seeds and some send fresh seeds. You are better served to dry them when you get them just to be sure. :rainbow:

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Awesome source for expertise!

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Can you use weight to tell if they’re dry? Asking for future projects as a total novice to drying seeds.

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I just leave them in a big dish so they’re not piled too deep and let them sit for two weeks and call them done.

I might even stir it once or twice.

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Hey yall
Just to piggy back a little,

How do people organize seed within the fridge? Its tough without a standard sized pack, some breeders are on big or thick cardboard backers, some in little envelopes…
Ive seen a few binders on here

Im currently using 3.5" floppy disc storage boxes.
But its not super organized

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Idealize the moisture content and store in a cool dry place with the least amount of temperature and humidity change as possible. I’ve read as low as 6% moisture up to 12% being a representative of an ideal range of seed moisture content. I’d imagine there are subtle nuances within these values as they relate to seeds of varying shape and construction. Some having thinner shells, others thicker, some rounder and others more oblong. I’m not sure how these things matter but I’d imagine they do.

It’s important to limit variability in the storage conditions once they’re in storage. Many blessings and much love

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Seeds you will run in the next two years keep in the fridge and the rest in the freezer :slightly_smiling_face: …I use plastic rubber seal airtight containers which is inside a mylar bag with dessicant pouch and the seeds are in a plastic vial/tube with a bit of sterile cotton :v:

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I used to have all my packs in a coffee container, filled a third with rice, then my seed packs, with plastic wrapped over the top, held with a rubber band, and put in the freezer. Now that’s where I keep the primo shit, the rest gets zip lock baggies in the freezer.

Mine are in an air-tight aluminum tube, along with silica dessicant, in the produce box in our 'fridge. I haven’t been storing them for long enough to know how effective that method is long term, but I’ve had a 100% germination rate so far, with seeds stored that way.

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Freezer is the best. Refrigerator is not as good as most people think. I’ve been doing tests for 35 years and believe me when I say as soon as they dry put them in the freezer and don’t ever let them thaw out unless you’re ready to start germinating. They will almost certainly outlive you if stored this way

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Hi @Bert I dry them in the dark in a box of matches.
And then I store them in test tubes like that


which i put in a Tupperware box in my fridge.
Hope this was helpful :wink:
See you
O.B.

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